¿Es posible limitar el turismo?: Una revisión a la normativa regional sectorial española sobre la saturación turística

From the Plan Futures in 1992 to the Estrategia de Sostenibilidad Turística en Destinos of 2024, the Spanish tourism model remains a topic of debate. Although there is no single planning framework, urban and coastal areas with high tourism development face the phenomena of overtourism. Not only is tourism an opportunity for development, but it is also a source of conflict, generating tensions and challenges in various areas. Public administrations, as guarantors of the general interest, must take an active role in managing these challenges. This research examines regional regulations on tourism and land-use planning to analyse the extent to which the confluctual nature of tourism – particularly overtourism – is recognized and what mechanisms have been established to mitigate its effects. The results reveal a heterogeneous perspective. While some regions acknowledge overtourism as a negative effect in their tourism regulations, defining its scope, management mechanisms, and basic limitations, land-use planning regulations do not address to this issue. However, it is precisely within the latter where that the necessary restrictions should be defined to ensure a more effective management of the phenomenon.